Thursday, January 15, 2009

When I was young and silly, I found a recipe for mussels and chorizo. I loved chorizo—it was that tangy, spicy sausage I ate mixed with my scrambled eggs at my favorite Mexican breakfast joints.

The recipe called for slicing the chorizo, which I did. The chorizo was a little soft and squishy, but I managed to carve out a few pieces.

I threw it in the warm skillet. And almost immediately, the bright-red sausage squirmed free of its casing. Instead of round symmetrical slices of sausage, I had little bits and blobs of sausage. But I wasn’t that disappointed. It still tasted like chorizo should taste and I just thought that I’d bought a badly made batch of chorizo. (I was in Iowa, after all.)

I went back to the store and bought another package, this time checking the expiration date to make sure it wasn’t terribly old. Again, I took it home and tried slicing it. This time, it didn’t even wait until I added it to the skillet before slithering out of its case like a snake shedding its skin.
It occurred to me that perhaps I should read the package and see if it said anything about how to prepare the chorizo. And yes, the package said you were to remove the chorizo from the casing before cooking. I was doing something right. So how were you supposed to have sliced chorizo for the recipe? (Not that I’d ever eaten sliced chorizo in the first place.) “What a stupid recipe,” I thought to myself and proceeded to make tinga with my batch of chorizo instead.

It wasn’t until a few years later that I realized that Spanish chorizo, a slow-cured smoked sausage was probably what the recipe was calling for. Whereas Mexican chorizo—the sausage I grew up eating—is fresh and loose, no smoke or waiting necessary. And this makes it ideal for making at home.

When I made breakfast sausage last year—also a uncased simple sausage—a good number of you shared with me your methods for making homemade chorizo. And even though I can find Mexican chorizo occasionally at my local markets (and always at the Hispanic markets), it’s more bright, more fiery and more fresh when I make it myself.

Vinegar and chiles give Mexican chorizo its distinctive flavor. I choose to use apple-cider vinegar with a puree of ground guajillos, but I know some people who use red-wine vinegar with ancho chiles or white vinegar with paprika. And that’s the beauty of homemade chorizo—it can taste just they way you want.

But they best thing about homemade Mexican chorizo is that you don’t have to stuff the sausage into casing. I reckon some people do, but as you’re just going to remove it I really don’t see the point. And sure, the chorizo tastes better after it’s sat around for a while but if you don’t have time to wait, I find that it’s still delicious just after you’ve made it.
Mexican chorizo
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground pork
3 dried guajillos
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 medium onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika (not smoked paprika as Mexican chorizo is decidedly not a smoked sausage)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons salt

Method:
In a dry skillet heated on high, toast the chiles on each side for about 10 seconds or just until they start to puff. Fill the skillet with enough water to cover chiles. Leave the heat on until water begins to boil and then turn off the heat and let chiles soak until soft, about 30 minutes.

After chiles are moist, drain the water and place the chiles and vinegar in a blender, also adding the diced onion and chopped garlic. Puree until a smooth, bright red paste is formed (can add a splash of water or vinegar if it's too dry to blend). It will look like ketchup.

Add the chile puree to the ground pork, along with the rest of the spices. Mix well. To test the flavors, pinch off a small piece and fry it up in a skillet for a minute or so. Taste it and add more spices if needed.

You can let it sit for a few hours so the flavors will meld, but I find it’s delicious just after making as well. Will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, and it freezes nicely.

94 comments:

I remember having that same confusion when I first saw a photo of paella with spanish chorizo in it. I was staring at the photo wondering where the little bits of chorizo were. In any case, I've never thought of making it homemade, but I think I will try it for the sake of quality control. I tend to find most grocery store varieties here in Texas to be too greasy, not spicy enough, and sometimes if the store only has cheap brands I find little chunks of cartilage or gelatinous fat in the meat which really grosses me out. Ick!

Oh, thank you sO much for posting this! I've been looking for a good chorizo recipe since everything I can buy lists lymph nodes as the second ingredient, and I just can't make myself eat those. Phoo-D

@Phoo-D: when i was in arizona over christmas, every single brand of chorizo i picked up in grocery stores listed lymph nodes in the ingredients, and this was like 9 different brands over two weeks' time. does anyone know what's behind this (other than a bunch of AWOL lymph nodes)?

and...that chorizo recipe looks very much like mine, minus a touch of cloves and allspice. unbelieveably, it also makes a nice seasoning for TVP or Quorn if you're cooking for vegetarians...

My Mom and I have been saying that we are going to make our chorizo because we don't like what we get in the store. But since we have yet to do it and it's been at least 2-3 years since we first started talking about, I'm beginning to think we like complaining about bad chorizo! Maybe, just maybe, one of these days we will following through. In the meantime I will visit your blog and stare at your pictures and exclaim..."Right on girl!"

Thank you--from the bottom of my Tex-Mex lovin' heart. I have yet to find this in the UK, so naturally I am thrilled to have this recipe. Believe me when I say, I am making huevos con chorizo this weekend, along with your flour tortillas!

It took me awhile to figure out that Spanish and Portugese chorizo were different than Mexican chorizo. Here in Toronto, we have a pretty vibrant Portugese community that ensures that good chaurico is available.

We however do not have a a large Mexican community and therefore, many traditonal Mexican ingredients are hard to find,most noteably the varieties of dried chiles.

I'd love it if you could suggest a good online source to buy these guajillos along with the other varieties.

I think the Texas chorizo is always different from what I see elsewhere. While here in Mexico I have tried many different types from Spanish to the soy variety. I know I will always in my head love & enjoy the type I grew up with but the person who said to cook it in the casing might be right. Then it won't have a texture issue. Your photos are very nice & those guajillos look perfect. Enjoy your blog. Happy New Year.

Thank you for a wonderful recipe! The stuff that passes for chorizo at my local HEB just doesn't do it for me. For the poster who asked for a good online source fo guajillos try world spice market in Seattle. I've been getting all my herbs and spices from them for 10 years and they are great people to deal with. They also have fantastic prices and very fresh stock.

So glad to read this. I had the same unfortunate ingredient reading experience as Phoo-D. No lymph nodes for me, either. I had already squished the stuff out of the casing and was cooking it while reading. The smell and the thought of offal was just too...awful. :)

Thanks for sharing the recipe - it looks MUCH more appealing. Can't wait to try it.

I'll have to try your recipe. I have been using Grady Spears' recipe (just made a batch); I use pasilla chiles, finely ground.Have to give yours a try next batch, the spice mix sounds interesting.I enjoy my visits and the recipes.

Love Chorizo ,but like a lot of folks here I am put off by the greasy ,mystery meat ingredients that is sold in most grocery stores.Some of the my most spectacular cases of acid indigestion rest firmly at the feet of cheap chorizo. I do highly recommend Kiolbasa brand chorizo made here in San Antonio. You pay more for it,but it is the best and they use higher quality stuffings.One of my kids favorite dished is papas con chorizo .Salud!

Chorizo is wonderful! Thank you HS Tex for the recipe. I saw "lymph nodes" on the packaging years ago. I have not been deterred from eating chorizo, it does make me wonder. I think, perhaps, that "lymph nodes" on the ingredient list may generally refer to part of flesh along the jaw, and not the "lymph nodes" themselves. Butchers are, after all, butchers, and not microsurgeons. Just conjecture. I will ask friends who do know and report back!

Hi, i came across your site through The Mom Crowd and had to comment. I, too, am a transplanted Texan (although a little farther away than NYC), so I enjoy your recipes immensely! I'm writing my mom right now to include some chiles in her next care package so I can make some chorizo. I know my hubby will be pleased, as he used to live in Mexico!

I had this same problem but reversed. I went for brunch when I first arrived in Sweden and saw they were serving the fried eggs with chorizo. Imagine my excitement only for it to arrived...sliced. And it was MILD! I didn't know what the hell it was but I knew it was not my beloved chorizo from Taco Cabana. Needless to say, I quickly realized they sold Spanish chorizo here, naturally. Thanks for another great TexMex recipe. I look forward to trying it. Tonight, however, is queso night!! :-)

Delurking to say thankyouthankyouthankyou! I'm a homesick Texan living in Hong Kong with a mad craving for Mexican chorizo, which does not exist here. Actually, Mexican food in any form is pretty scarce (and rarely worth eating when you can find it). This blog has become a lifesaver.

I've said for years that making chorizo seems so easy I'm going to do it . . . now I really am!Even though I live in San Antonio and have access to this great food, I've been reluctant to tackle making a lot of it at home. Your site has gotten me back in the kitchen! I thank you and my husband thanks you!

Chorizo is the one of the things I really miss about home. I am a San Antonio native and you can't find chorizo here in the middle of the desert on the other side of the world. I am really lucky to have those chilis with me too courtesy of a friend.

Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I just love, love, love your blog!

I used to be a homesick Texan in Maryland. Now, I am back home. People just don't get us Texans. I always tell my hubby, I do not care where we go, but I will want to retire to Texas when I am old. You have a great blog!

I love you!! I've been living in OZ and I kept buying "chorizo" and it was always HARD and wouldn't crumble, etc. It seemed already cooked, indeed it was smoked. Now I realize because of your post that it was Spanish Chorizo!! I will have to try to make this, if I can find the proper chilli in Adelaide. Danielle- from San Antonioneed chorizo and egg tacos....

I am so glad you posted this. I bought a Rick Bayless cookbook on authentic Mexican cooking. I made his recipe and it contains the nutmeg type spices. That changes it entirely and doesn't taste like the chorizo we get here in Texas. Just as soon as I get to HEB to buy the chiles, I'll try this. Thanks!

Oh yum, yum, yum! Chorizo is such an amazing sausage. I have never made any type of sausage myself, but this sounds too good to pass up. I was surprised to see both vinegar and cinnamon in the ingredients. I bet this smells terrific as it cooks. My 13 year old son is showing an interest in cooking, I bet he'd enjoy making this with me. YUM!

I cannot wait to try this! There is just no place to find chorizo in the South! I grew up eating this kind of chorizo and all I can find are poor imitations of it or the spanish type. Yet another recipe to add to my list! My husband will be delighted!

your blog is so much fun to read. i love all things spicy and, being a northerner, have never had things like real chorizo. i noted that you said to remove the seeds before pureeing the peppers. is that an edibility issue or a heat thing? thank you so much for sharing a style of cooking i would never have known much about.

I was just thinking to go a googling to find recipies for chorizo and while looking for something else I found you blog.So I'm going to go for fate.One responder wanted to know about paprika there is a company that is called Chiquilin. I wanted to find where they sold their Bittersweet paprika (which to be honest is to simply to die for) but their mild paprika I think would fit the bill. You can google the company and they will be happy to provide information.

I made this over the weekend with ground chicken. It was ground chicken that I wouldn't buy again. It was still a better chorizo then any you can buy in Dallas. I can't wait to try it with some pork in a queso fundido.

Good Morning. I just found your site and I am fascinated by th erecipes you have collected. Favorites all over TEXAS. Have you tried using venison instead of pork? I am allergic to pork so we use 20 lbs. of venison to 10 lbs. of cheap hamburger. A little different, but at least I can have chorizo.

I am so thrilled that I googled "chorizo recipe" and got your blog!!! I have been dreaming of chorizo and egg breakfast tacos for years. I live in Hong Kong, where I have learned to be very creative, and I hope to find something along the lines of guajillos!

This is absolute food porn for me! There is nothing I love more than chorizo. It is my favorite food and whenever I visit my parents, I make my mom take me to a michoacana so I can make everything with it: chorizo mac and cheese, chorizo con queso, queso fundido, on cheeseburgers (see my trend here lol?)

I made this and I'm glad I did.Next time I'm upping the vinegar and heat, but what I got tasted good regardless. Also , due to some overdone guajillos my chili emulsion was more chocolate than ketchup in colour.

I can't wait to try this recipe - I bought some brilliant red chorizo at our local farmer's market. My husband has celiac disease and says he had a reaction to that chorizo. I have NO idea what it was in the mix - maybe MSG? - that made him sick. But, now I can re-incorporate chorizo into my recipe making by controlling the ingredients myself! Thanks!!!

I made the chorizo - the tiny patty I just tried was great! I used rice wine vinegar and white pepper. I can't believe I have no cayenne in the house!!! I will try it with turkey, too. Awesome and easy!

We're getting close here. That's nearly the flavor and texture I remember. Although I'm quite sure I'm used to eating the ones with offal cuts in there. I'm also used to a bit more deep red, maybe more chili's or paprika. When I tasted it I immediately thought it needed more depth, through allspice or another warm spice. Maybe the large leafed Jamaican Oregano would taste better or perhaps another herb entirely. Thanks for posting this. I'll be updating my own site with my take. Yours- Another Homesick Texan

Have I mentioned that you're my new favorite food blogger? Yes, you definitely are. I'm making this chorizo recipe to go in a Food and Wine recipe for a baked chicken and rice dish in the most recent magazine. So excited!

I just stumbled on to your blog, as I was looking for a jalapeno egg salad recipe to see how it would compare with the one I just threw together (mine doesn't have the cumin and other spices, just salt and pepper, but I used chipotle mustard and freshly minced jalapenos). I took a look at the preview of your cookbook, and will probably buy it, based on your other recipes I've looked at. But this homemade Mexican chorizo recipe, and your accompanying blog entry really caught my attention. I was born, raised and lived the first 43 years of my life in Tucson, AZ, so even though I'm a "gringa," I know a little bit about Mexican food. Sonoran Mexican to be exact, but Mexican all the same. You could call me the "Homesick Tucsonan." I now live in Miami, and I have had the very same reaction to what passes for "chorizo" in this neck of the woods. Not the wonderful "fresh" product that I'm used to! My solution has been to hold my cravings in check until my next trip to Tucson--I get out there about once a year. But I am definitely going to try your recipe!

Lisa...O-M-G! You can NOT get good chorizo outside Mexico and Texas, that's for sure! Panama's local chorizo is all wrong...double smoked, hard, and left me looking for a recipe to make my own at home. After finding your capirotada recipe, I came straight to your site for the chorizo. I haven't made it yet. There are NO dried peppers to be found here :(

The food here is so plain, it's amazing. I've thought of 2 things, either to find/build a dehydrator and attempt to make my own dried poblano chiles (aka ancho when dried), or use pimenton molido(aka paprika) in place of the guajillo.

What do you think? Will the results still be reminiscent of the chorizo my family longs for?

MM--Someone suggested that you could make anchos in the oven by drying the poblanos overnight at 200 degrees. I've never tried that, though. Paprika won't have as much flavor but it could work in a pinch. Good luck!

I heated the peppers as advised in the recipe - on high heat. After a couple minutes (two, to be precise) on the first side I flipped them over and found them to be COMPLETELY burnt. I'm assuming it's not supposed to actually be black. Still soaking in water for the recommended time but I may be using some canned chipotles in lieu of these if they're burnt beyond repair. Next time I will use medium heat.

I have just started canning and making and grinding my own meats to make sausage am going to try this in the next few days or so sounds really great. So much healthier to do these things yourself so you don't get those unwanted items like lymph nodes yuk....great recipe will let you know how it turns out

I was in Cozumel Mexico last month and found chicken chorizo in the meat department of a local large grocery store (Mega). It was simply incredible and extremely lean but did not lack taste or consistency of other good chorizos I have had. So I am looking for a "how to" recipe and yours. I will try using chicken thighs and let you know how it turns out.So thanksDC

You are probably not going to like this. I grew up in Iowa, lived in Wyoming, Colorado, and recently New Mexico for 12 years before retiring. I traveled in Mexico and Texas extensively. The best and I mean the best chorizo I have ever eaten in my life came from a little Mexican store in East Moline, Illinois, in the Quad Cities owned by some Mexican folks who did not speak a lick of english. Their store was in the heart of the area where illegals made their homes. I was in my 20s at the time and traveled there every 2 weeks for many many years until I moved to Wyoming. I have never found a chorizo that came close in my travels in all my years. If yours comes close I will be eternally happy...

Wow! This is a great recipe. You know what you're getting. A friend told me she bought chorizo and it was awful. It disintegrated to nothing in the pan. I used this recipe but added a pound of ground beef also and doubled the ingredient because I used 2lbs of meat. It was wonderful. Meaty, no lymph nodes yuk!!!

Many years ago, with a love for the taste of chorizo, I made up my own recipe for it using ground beef, to get rid of the excess fat. Now, with beef causing me severe arthritic like pain, long-lasting, I am converting back to pork, as I am able to eat pork without having severe joint & bone pain. It is good to see your recipe. Mine was very similar. I have always had a knack for determining seasonings just from taste & have made a few recipes up which were not available along the years. Must be something in the air in Texas:) taylor

Lymph nodes? You didn't read far enough in the ingredients. All the ones available where I live also have salivary glands. Since reading that label, I haven't eaten the stuff. So, this recipe is a dream come true. I love making sausage, so this will be a good one to add to my repertoire.Thanks!

Delicious! I never thought to make my own chorizo and chorizo is a staple in my home! I could immediately tell a difference in quality when I noticed I didnt have a pool of greese collecting in the fry pan! I ended up doubling the batch but I kept the amount of cinnamon the same as the original recipe. It would have been too overpowering I think. You could definitely taste it even in the doubled batch, but it was the perfect amount. It was a bit salty so I think next time I'll cut the salt down a bit. Thank you so much for sharing this. My family will enjoy this for years to come and so will my wallet! Andrea Soto~Lake Mills, WI